Project Alien,
2021
Duquesne University
Project Alien, Rebecca Mccallin, Madelyn Hoying, Alex Evans, Matthew Nestler, Karli Rae Sutton, Garett Craig, Lucia Secaia Del Cid, Alexander Guy, Rachel Fernandez, Amanda Trusiak, Paige Aley, Ingabire Gakwerere, Nina Dorfner, Maria Mosbacher, Mary Flavin, Selvin Hernandez, Audrey Steen, Benjamin Kazimer
Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium
Project ALIEN is a comprehensive plan to send humans to Mars to look for life on the Martian surface while exploring the viability and adaptability of terrestrial microbes in Martian atmospheric conditions. ALIEN will use a ballistic capture trajectory to get to Mars and stay in aerostationary orbit for a 30-day surface mission, during which two surface crewmembers will perform a variety of experiments to achieve the mission’s goals of Martian microbial discovery within brines of the Gale Crater and terrestrial microbe adaptability and viability to Martian conditions. Experimentation is based on the presumption that Martian microbes are metabolically similar …
Bioprinting Alginate Structures Using The Fresh Method,
2021
Duquesne University
Bioprinting Alginate Structures Using The Fresh Method, Amanda Pellegrino
Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium
Three-dimensional bioprinting is a tissue engineering and regenerative medicine technique that utilizes biomaterials to print clinically relevant scaffolds. These scaffolds are used for tissue repair and to treat disease, such as end-organ failure. The main problem with 3D bioprinting is its inability to print soft biomaterials, which collapse due to gravitational forces. In addition, the materials that can be used do not mimic native tissue’s mechanical properties and texture. To combat this, Dr Feinberg’s laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University developed the freeform reversible embedding of suspended hydrogels (FRESH) method. The FRESH method allows for soft biomaterials to be supported in …
A Generalized Method For Predictive Simulation-Based Lower Limb Prosthesis Design,
2021
University of Massachusetts Amherst
A Generalized Method For Predictive Simulation-Based Lower Limb Prosthesis Design, Mark Price
Doctoral Dissertations
Lower limb prostheses are designed to replace the functions and form of the missing biological anatomy. These functions are hypothesized to improve user outcome measures which are negatively affected by receiving an amputation – such as metabolic cost of transport, preferred walking speed, and perceived discomfort during walking. However, the effect of these design functions on the targeted outcome measures is highly variable, suggesting that these relationships are not fully understood. Biomechanics simulation and modeling tools are increasingly capable of analyzing the effects of a design on the resulting user gait. In this work, prothesis-aided gait is optimized in simulation …
An Automated Framework For Connected Speech Evaluation Of Neurodegenerative Disease: A Case Study In Parkinson's Disease,
2021
University of South Florida
An Automated Framework For Connected Speech Evaluation Of Neurodegenerative Disease: A Case Study In Parkinson's Disease, Sai Bharadwaj Appakaya
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Neurodegenerative diseases affect millions of people around the world. The progressive degeneration worsens the symptoms, heavily impacting the quality of life of the patients as well as the caregivers. Speech production is one of the physiological processes affected by neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Speech is the most basic form of communication, and the effect of neurodegeneration degrades speech production, thereby reducing social interaction and mental well-being. PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disease affecting speech production in 90% of the diagnosed individuals. Speech analysis methods for PD in clinical methods …
Classification Of Breast Cancer Using Deep Learning And Mammogram Images,
2021
Santa Clara University
Classification Of Breast Cancer Using Deep Learning And Mammogram Images, Travis Kay, Derrick Dang Nguyen, Lashan Wijayawickrama
Bioengineering Senior Theses
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among US women. Thus, it is important for doctors to detect and diagnose breast cancer as early as possible. Mammography has been used for about 30 years, but there have been rapid developments using digital mammography technology and computer aided systems to help improve breast imaging. Deep learning techniques are being developed to provide a more effective tool for the classification of breast cancer. We adopt a transfer learning approach and fine-tune a pre-trained convolutional neural network model for accurate classification of breast masses based on screening mammograms. The model …
G-Map: Gastrointestinal Myoelectric Activity Phantom,
2021
Santa Clara University
G-Map: Gastrointestinal Myoelectric Activity Phantom, Kei Castleberry, Sarah King, Edie O’Connor
Bioengineering Senior Theses
In the biowearable industry, there is a need for benchtop testing methods that present cost-effective, consistent, and ethical alternatives to current preclinical testing. Artificial phantoms serve to meet this need by mimicking the clinically relevant elements that biowearables monitor. They act as a tool for demonstrating a medical device’s safety and efficacy. The objective of this project is to create a gastrointestinal (GI) phantom that emulates the electrical and material properties of the stomach, small intestine, and colon in order to test diagnostic GI biowearables. Our team also aimed to create a computer-simulated model of the phantom in order to …
Automatic Generation And Novel Validation Of Patient-Specific, Anatomically Inclusive Scoliosis Models For Biomechanics-Informed Surgical Planning,
2021
Old Dominion University
Automatic Generation And Novel Validation Of Patient-Specific, Anatomically Inclusive Scoliosis Models For Biomechanics-Informed Surgical Planning, Austin Tapp, Michel Audette, James Bennett
College of Engineering & Technology (Batten) Posters
Scoliosis is an abnormal spinal curvature of greater than 10 degrees. Severe scoliotic deformities are addressed with highly invasive procedures: anterior or posterior spinal fusion approaches. This invasiveness is due, in part, to the constraints of current surgical planning, which utilizes computed tomography (CT) scans unable to discern spinal ligaments that are dissected to make the spine sufficiently compliant for correction. If localization of ligaments and soft tissues were achieved pre-operatively, corrective procedures could become safer and more efficient by using finite element (FE) biomechanical simulations to determine decreased incidences of ligament releases. This research aims to achieve ligament localization …
Velocity Distribution And Stress Analysis In A Continuous Exchange Cell-Free Protein Synthesis System,
2021
Louisiana State University
Velocity Distribution And Stress Analysis In A Continuous Exchange Cell-Free Protein Synthesis System, Grace Nguyen
Honors Theses
No abstract provided.
High Throughput And On-Chip Analysis Of Engineered Extracellular Nano-Vesicles And Their Functional Characterizations,
2021
Santa Clara University
High Throughput And On-Chip Analysis Of Engineered Extracellular Nano-Vesicles And Their Functional Characterizations, Brendan Johnson, Jiayi Zhang
Bioengineering Senior Theses
In recent years, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have shown great promises as drug delivery vehicles to treat various diseases, including cancer and neurological diseases. EV surface engineering is a critical step to achieve targeted drug delivery. By engineering EVs with transmembrane scaffolds, targeting molecules can be displayed on the EV outer surface, and cargos can be loaded into the EV lumen. However, EV heterogeneity and inadequate EV purification and characterization methods impose great challenges on understanding engineered EVs and choosing appropriate transmembrane scaffolds. To this day, surface engineered EVs are still limited to lab research. In this thesis, we modify the …
Skin Phantom For Biowearable Device Testing,
2021
Santa Clara University
Skin Phantom For Biowearable Device Testing, Ruby Karimjee, Brooke Fitzwilson, Jordan Spice
Bioengineering Senior Theses
The biowearable industry currently utilizes animals, humans, and cadavers for testing skin mounted bio-devices. There is a need for a sustainable skin phantom that is capable of simulating the properties of skin. We proposed a skin phantom educational kit that emulates the perspiration and electrical properties (i.e. impedance spectrum) of skin. This kit can mimic the effects of different sweat concentrations and geometrical structures and allows students to visualize how these properties change electrical measurements. We designed a three-layered model composed of silicone rubber sandwiched between agar, which is similar to the skin's elastomeric and porous texture. We used simple …
Nanoanalytical Analysis Of Bisphosphonate-Driven Alterations Of Microcalcifications Using A 3d Hydrogel System And In Vivo Mouse Model,
2021
Harvard Medical School
Nanoanalytical Analysis Of Bisphosphonate-Driven Alterations Of Microcalcifications Using A 3d Hydrogel System And In Vivo Mouse Model, Jessica L. Ruiz, Joshua D. Hutcheson, Luis Cardoso, Amirala Bakhshian Nik, Alexandra Condado De Abreu, Tan Pham, Fabrizio Buffolo, Sara Busatto, Stefania Frederici, Andrea Ridolfi, Masanori Aikawa, Sergio Bertazzo, Paolo Bergese, Sheldon Weinbaum, Elena Aikawa
Publications and Research
Vascular calcification predicts atherosclerotic plaque rupture and cardiovascular events. Retrospective studies of women taking bisphosphonates (BiPs), a proposed therapy for vascular calcification, showed that BiPs paradoxically increased morbidity in patients with prior acute cardiovascular events but decreased mortality in event-free patients. Calcifying extracellular vesicles (EVs), released by cells within atherosclerotic plaques, aggregate and nucleate calcification. We hypothesized that BiPs block EV aggregation and modify existing mineral growth, potentially altering microcalcification morphology and the risk of plaque rupture. Three-dimensional (3D) collagen hydrogels incubated with calcifying EVs were used to mimic fibrous cap calcification in vitro, while an ApoE−/− mouse was used …
Tissue Engineering Pre-Reads,
2021
CUNY City College
Tissue Engineering Pre-Reads, Ryan M. Williams
Open Educational Resources
This material provides an introduction to a tissue engineering module in an experimental methods in biomedical engineering course. Students are expected to be familiar with this material prior to a pre-assessment taken at the beginning of class as we have condense lecture time this semester.
Musculoskeletal Modeling Of The Pelvis And Lumbar Spine During Running,
2021
Old Dominion University
Musculoskeletal Modeling Of The Pelvis And Lumbar Spine During Running, Ruth Higgins, Maryam Moeini, Hunter Bennett, Stacie Ringleb
College of Engineering & Technology (Batten) Posters
Musculoskeletal modeling provides an alternative to in-vivo characteristics that are difficult to directly measure for movements such as running, especially for trunk muscles and joints. The full-body-lumbar-spine (FBLS) model by Raabe and Chaudhari, 2016 is an OpenSim model created for simulations of jogging. The lifting full-body (LFB) model by Beaucage-Gauvreau et al., 2018 is an adaptation of the FBLS created for estimating spinal loads during lifting. PURPOSE: Determine validity of the FBLS and LFB models in simulating pelvis and lumbar spine kinematics during running. METHODS: Inverse Kinematics were executed using experimental data for the FBLS and LFB models. To …
3d Lidar Human Skeleton Estimation For Long Range Identification,
2021
Old Dominion University
3d Lidar Human Skeleton Estimation For Long Range Identification, Alexander Glandon, Lasitha Vidyaratne, Nasrin Sadeghzadehyazdi, Nibir Dhar, Jide Familoni, Scott Acton, Khan Iftekharuddin
College of Engineering & Technology (Batten) Posters
This research project is the continuation of an effort by the Vision Lab to understand human gait and motion using special-purpose imaging sensors and novel computer vision algorithms. The project began using a Motion Capture (MoCap) system which measures 3D human skeleton information in real-time by attaching markers to a human subject and viewing the human motion with a set of cameras at different angles. We developed an algorithm to determine the gender of a subject wearing these sensors. The current phase of this project extends this work using a state-of-the-art flash Lidar sensor. This sensor scans the surface of …
Trials And Tribulations Of Humanizing Mice For Cancer Research,
2021
Old Dominion University
Trials And Tribulations Of Humanizing Mice For Cancer Research, Brittney Ruedlinger, Steven Warsof, Eric Feliberti, Mary Beth Hughes, Ayobami ‘Edwin’ Oshin, Chunqi Jiang, Brittany P. Lassiter, Siqi Guo, Stephen J. Beebe
The Graduate School Posters
Cancers are aggressive, evasive, and ruthless killers, claiming millions of lives every year. Cancers are heterogeneous and there is often no single, clearly defined problem as they harness and manipulate a multitude of fundamental mechanisms at the very essence of life. To investigate these mechanisms and vet potential interventive therapies, humanized mice offer a unique model as a prelude to the use of nanosecond pulse stimulation (NPS), a pulse power technology applying nanosecond duration, high electric field pulses, to ablate human tumors. Immunodeficient mouse strains, NSG and NSG-SGM3, were engrafted with human immune cells and human tumors, which would allow …
Cyclophilin D Is A Sensor Of Nano-Pulse Stimulation,
2021
Old Dominion University
Cyclophilin D Is A Sensor Of Nano-Pulse Stimulation, Brittney Ruedlinger, Bani Hani Maisoun, Lucas Potter, Nicola Lai, Stephen J. Beebe
The Graduate School Posters
Nano-Pulse Stimulation (NPS), a pulsed power-derived technology, stimulates structural and functional changes in plasma membranes and cellular organelles. NPS induces a Ca2+ influx and opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) that dissipates the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and, when sustained, induces regulated cell death. Here we show that in rat cardiomyoblasts (H9C2) cyclophilin D (CypD) is a mitochondrial sensor for NPS as defined by observations that loss of ΔΨm is Ca2+ and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) dependent and cyclosporin A (CsA)-sensitive, which are diagnostic qualities for effects on CypD and the mPTP. …
Drive Leg And Stride Leg Ground Reaction Forces Relationship To Medial Elbow Stress And Velocity In Collegiate Baseball Pitchers,
2021
Old Dominion University
Drive Leg And Stride Leg Ground Reaction Forces Relationship To Medial Elbow Stress And Velocity In Collegiate Baseball Pitchers, Brett Smith
Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations
This study examines several different kinetic variables in relation to pitch velocity and elbow varus torque in collegiate baseball pitchers using force plates, an inertial measurement unit, and a radar unit. The purpose of this study is to investigate the kinetic variables being measured and their relationship to pitch velocity and loads being placed on the medial elbow. Twelve collegiate baseball pitchers participated in this study, which was approved by the IRB. Impulse of the drive leg in the anterior-posterior direction, stride leg peak force in the anterior-posterior (AP) direction, elbow varus torque, and pitch velocity were all measured. Two …
Mechanism Of Therapeutic Efficacy Of New Drugs In Glioblastoma,
2021
University of South Carolina
Mechanism Of Therapeutic Efficacy Of New Drugs In Glioblastoma, Firas Hameed Khathayer
Theses and Dissertations
Glioblastoma is the most malignant and prevalent brain tumor in adults. It can grow and spread quickly causing harm to brain health. The deregulation of epigenetic mechanisms is considered the main agent in the developing of GBM. One of the enzymes involved in epigenetic alternation and cancer development are histone deacetylases enzyme (HDAC) by removal acetyl group from histone and create condensed chromatin that suppresses transcription gene to histone and non-histone proteins involved in tumorigenesis. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HADCi) are the most common therapeutic methods for many types of cancer treatments. In the present study, we used relative HDAC inhibitor …
Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction And Effects On Arterial Wall Microstructure,
2021
University of South Carolina
Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction And Effects On Arterial Wall Microstructure, Jeffrey Thomas Rodgers
Theses and Dissertations
Vascular endothelial cell dysfunction (ECD) is a disease characterized by the inability of the vascular endothelial cells to transmit signaling molecules, namely nitric oxide (NO), in response to changes in blood flow rate. This disease is shown to be incident in the onset of more severe vascular disease such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, and heart failure. Long-term ECD is shown to cause long-term remodeling such as decreased flow-mediated dilation, increased pulse-wave velocity, intimal-medial thickening, and increased wall stiffness due to collagen deposition. We used second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy to analyze this change in the collagen microstructure of the arterial extracellular …
Predictions Of Knee Joint Contact Forces Using Only Kinematic Inputs With A Recurrent Neural Network,
2021
Old Dominion University
Predictions Of Knee Joint Contact Forces Using Only Kinematic Inputs With A Recurrent Neural Network, Kaileigh Elisabeth Estler
Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Theses & Dissertations
BACKGROUND: Knee joint contact (bone on bone) forces are commonly estimated using surrogate measures such as external knee adduction moments (with limited success) or musculoskeletal modeling (more successful). Despite its capabilities, modeling is not optimal for clinicians or persons with limited experience and knowledge. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to design a novel prediction method for knee joint contact forces that is equal or more accurate than modeling, yet simplistic in terms of required inputs. METHODS: This study included all six subjects’ (71.3±6.5kg, 1.7±0.1m) data from the opensource “Grand Challenge” datasets (simtk.org) and two subjects from the "CAMS" …
